Chances of becoming an Officer in the Texas National Guard?

March 19th, 2013, 05:54 PM

I am 30 and have a pretty decent job. However, I have always wanted to join the military, and I'm not getting any younger. The Guard seems like a good fit for me and I don't mind being deployed as I'm not married and don't have kids. I could likely always return to my job anyways. I have a Bachelors degree in Criminal Justice and have had employment since graduating.

What can I do to maximize my chances of being accepted as an officer? It looks like the ASVAB is clearly important. Is there anything else I can do? I stay in good shape so the physical part will be no problem. How likely is it for someone to be accepted as an officer into the Texas National Guard?

I am 30 and have a pretty decent job. I have always wanted to joing the military, and I'm not getting any younger. The Guard seems like a good fit for me and I don't mind being deployed as I'm not married and don't have kids. I have a Bachelors degree in Criminal Justice and have had employment since graduating.

What can I do to maximize my chances of being accepted as an officer? It looks like the ASVAB is clearly important. Is there anything else I can do? I stay in good shape to the physical part will be no problem. How likely is it for someone to be accepted as an officer into the Texas National Guard?

Thanks for any help.

If you meet all of the requirements and they're currently recruiting officers, your chances of getting contracted are about 100%. After that you'll have to make it through all the required training, but OCS ain't that hard. You'll be fine.

I was 31 in Texas when I started the process. Being physically fit with a clean record with reasonable intelligence will get you into the OCS program as an 09S. Having intestinal fortitude and drive to succeed will get you through BCT and OCS. After that, well... BOLC is a breeze!

Recruiting officers is bit different. Go to a NG Recruiter and tell them you want to go 09S for the purposes of OCS. They may/may not know all of the specifics, but enlisting you is pretty much the same.

We always need officers, especially in Texas. Research the units in the state to get an idea of what you'll be doing as an "O" and what's available.

Be advised that Officer branches are not guaranteed for the OCS route. As an 09S you'll be put up against your class for branch slots on the OML, so you may get stuck with a less than desirable branch if your performance is so-so or poor.

OML is based on performance in Phase 1, final APFT, Leadership rotations, STX lanes, Land Nav, Phase 3 stuff (think - final grade) and a host of other activities.

Texas is Armor heavy as far as combat units, with INF a close 2nd. Combat Arms is one of those things where we rarely have an issue filling. Most mid to low performers at OCS get something like QM, Ordnance or the like.

You'll really need to research the state to see who needs what, but keep in mind, any info you find now may not be pertinent when you commission in 2+ years.

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There are almost zero armor slots in Texas now. We've got two full IBCTs, so it is a very Infantry-heavy state. That being said, in my OCS class, I think we branched 4 or 5 out of 36 Infantry. We had 13 or so FA, though.

For OCS branch assignments, they take the class rank into account, but it's not the sole factor. They also take into account your geographic location, unit vacancies, needs of the state, and your preferences.

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There are more units in the Dallas area than I can list. As for needs for 2LTs, I imagine there are some, but I don't know exact numbers or locations of vacancies. A recruiter and OSM will be able to tell you that.